


The Long Good-bye

by jsaint34



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen, romanogers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 03:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3274637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsaint34/pseuds/jsaint34
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a companion piece to my story Soldier's Test.  Takes place after Steve and Nat's one year wedding anniversary.  I decided not to add it in to the main story, but I had this running around in my head and had to write it.  Hope everyone likes it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Long Good-bye

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters herein belong to Disney and Marvel. No profit will be made from this and no infringement was intended on Marvel Comics properties or on other works on this website. I'm just a fan, writing a story.

Married life didn’t start easily for Steve and Natasha. Her unexpected pregnancy, and the dimensional shift that took him to another Earth, to be replaced by a different Captain America brought about no end to the stress they faced trying to build a life together. Coupled with the two impostors trying to frame him, they were finally relieved when everything settled down before the impeding births of their twins. Just after their first anniversary, a call came through that neither of them could have expected.

“Excuse me Captain, but I have an urgent call for you coming through on a secure channel.”

“I’ll take it in the office, JARVIS. Can you patch it through to my private line?”

“Of course, Sir, the call is being routed there now.”

Entering the office he and Natasha share, he prepares for the worst. With Fury off of the Grid, and SHIELD still being rebuilt, he worries about what this new mission could be.

“Captain Steven Rogers here, how may I help you?”

“Steve, it’s Sharon. I know we haven’t spoken in a while. But I thought it would be best if I delivered the news personally.”

“What news? Did something happen with you and the C.I.A.?”

“No, no this isn’t about work. This is personal. Umm, I don’t know how to say this…”

On the other end of the line, Steve can tell how distraught Sharon is. They’d come to rely on each other, albeit briefly after the HYDRA corruption had been revealed. But if she wasn’t calling about work there was only one reason for this unexpected attempt to reconnect.

“Sharon, it’s about Peggy isn’t it? What happened?”

“Aunt Peggy, she…she died last night. The Nurses say it must have been peacefully, in her sleep. Steve I…”

The news hits Steve hard. He can only imagine what Sharon is going through as she breaks down into tears again. He hopes the next words he says will be enough to comfort her, without sounding patronizing.

“Sharon, I know it hurts, but she’s in a better place now. If there’s anything you need, anything I can do, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thanks, Steve. I have to go, I need to start seeing to the funeral arrangements. She wanted me to be the one to handle that. I’ll call you when I have everything set up.”

He can only thank her as the line disconnects. He hadn’t been able to see Peggy as much as he would have liked. The missions, nearly having to face a trial for treason; his life was constantly challenged. The one last time he was able to see her, she barely remembered him. Just like that time, he goes through his old war journals, and photographs of the Commandos. Lost in his memories, he doesn’t register Natasha entering and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“You missed the team lunch, baby. Tony couldn’t stop complaining.”

“He’ll get over it. Did I miss anything important?”

“Not really, a few jokes about you being old, and needing your beauty sleep. The usual.”

“So nothing I haven’t heard before. Like I said, he’ll get over it.”

Glancing down at the photos, she knows something is bothering him. Ever since they got together last year, there have been no secrets between them.

“Something has prompted this trip down memory lane, and you’ve got that look on your face.”

“What look?”

“The look that says you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“I just received a call from Sharon Carter.”

“Sharon Carter? So why now after a year and half?”

The way she feels his shoulders tense up, it’s evident this has nothing to do with the date he had with Sharon. Only one person springs to her mind.

“It’s about Peggy. I know you haven’t been able to see her since before SHIELD fell, and I’ve only met her once before, after your injury. So what happened?”

“Tash, Peggy died last night. Sharon thought it was best if I heard it from her.”

Immediately Natasha’s entire demeanor changes. Her arms were loosely draped around Steve’s shoulders, now she tightens them into a comforting hug. 

“So when is the funeral, when do we leave?”

“I don’t know yet. Her family has to work out the details. But I can guess that it will be in London, I know she’d probably want to be buried at home.”

“Well as soon as we know, I’m going with you. You’re not going to go through this alone.”

“Tash, you know you can’t fly, Bruce said that…”

“I know what Bruce said. Flying while this close to my due date could be dangerous. But Peggy meant a lot to you, and I’m going to be there to help you say good-bye.”

Despite his grief, Steve allows for a small smile. Funerals have never been easy for him. And Natasha, her training in the Black Widow program taught her never to mourn. The first moment he saw her vulnerable was when they thought Fury was dead. It was the first time he saw the woman underneath the assassin. When they hear a loud banging on the door, JARVIS is forced to interrupt their moment of silence.

“Excuse me Captain, Agent Romanoff, but Mr. Stark is demanding to be let in. He says if you don’t release the locks, he’ll have to use the Iron Man gauntlet to blast his way in.”

“All right JARVIS. Release the privacy codes. We don’t want Tony to have a hissy fit because of his vanity about the tower.”

As the door opens, a very angry Tony Stark walks into their office, wanting an explanation.

“What the Hell? Capsicle, I know that I gave you all access to everyone’s floor here, but I didn’t do that so you could lock me out of the systems.”

“He didn’t do it Tony. I did, Steve and I needed a moment of silence for a friend.”

“Still the expert hacker. You’re putting me on, Red. You don’t mourn for anyone.”

“Tony, stop. We knew this day would be coming. It was an emergency protocol we enacted in case she died.”

“I’m sorry, she? Come on Natasha, who exactly is this she you’re talking about?”

For the first time in ten minutes, Steve looks up as he tosses a framed photo over to him. Catching it, Tony realizes who they were talking about and it all makes sense.

“This is my Dad, with you and Peggy? Steve, I’m sorry. Dad used to tell me stories about her, before he shipped me off to boarding school. Take some time away. Pepper and I will make the travel arrangements. Natasha may not be able to fly, but we’re going to get you there, once we know where the funeral will be.”

A few days later Sharon called back with the information on the funeral. After a long discussion with Bruce, Natasha was cleared to fly, but only as long as it was on the Stark Industries jet. And as her Doctor he insisted on going as well. The service was set for a Saturday, so Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Bruce left early Thursday night.

“Steve, are you sure you’re up for this? Is this the way Peggy would want you to remember her?”

“What do you mean by that, Tony? If you’re suggesting that…”

Tony notices the edge in his friend’s voice. He quickly backpedals before he says something else stupid.

“I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t go. I’m just concerned is all. If it were me in your shoes I would want to remember her as I first knew her.”

“Your concern is duly noted Tony. But this is something I have to do. Let’s leave it at that.”

Steve silently gets up and walks to the back of the plane. When his back is turned Natasha hits the billionaire with a disapproving glare.

“Do you ever know not to put your foot in your mouth, Stark? My husband is hurting right now, he needs your support.”

“Hey, chill Red. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive. Death is finality. We’re all going to face it someday. We should focus on what we still have in our lives, and not what we’ve lost.”

“That’s very Zen of you. But Steve’s seventy year sleep in the ice took him away from everything he knows. All he has left from that time is Bucky and Dugan. You more than anyone should understand the need to say good-bye. Leave it at that.”

As she goes to join him in the back of the plane, the rest of the flight is silent. Bruce thinks about his mother and Betty, while Tony is drawn back to the accident that took his parents. When Saturday arrived, Steve and Natasha departed for the funeral while Tony and Bruce stayed at the hotel on a video conference with the rest of the team. He was in his Army formal uniform, and Natasha was in a long black dress. At the graveyard, Sharon was the first to greet the couple as they arrived.

“Steve, I’m glad you could make it. Aunt Peggy would be happy to know you came to pay your respects.”

“There’s nowhere else I should be right now. I see that you’ve got plenty of security around. Have there been threats against your family?”

“No, these are members of British Intelligence, and MI-6. She had a lot of friends who wanted to come as well. But yes, they are also providing security. Natasha? I didn’t know you’d be coming.”

“I came with Steve. I too wanted to pay my respects to Peggy.”

“I thank you for this. So tell me, how long until your baby is born?” 

“I’m two months away from my due date. We still don’t know if the twins are going to be boys or girls.”

“I’m happy for you. Bringing children into the world is a remarkable gift. Even with the risks we face in our lives, I know that you and Clint will be wonderful parents.”

“I’m sorry, Clint and I?”

“Yeah, he is the father; isn’t he? I’m surprised he’s not here with you.”

“Actually Sharon, Clint’s not their father. He married Bobbi Morse. He and I were never actually a couple.”

“Then who…, you’re not going to be raising twins alone, are you?”

Steve has stood silent through Sharon’s line of questioning. It’s only now that he gets to get another word in.

“Sharon, it’s been almost two years since the HYDRA incident. So I know we’ve had very little contact but…”

He pauses and raises his left hand while Natasha does the same. The matching wedding bands are a surprise to Sharon. Even though she knew after their only date that a relationship with Captain America wasn’t going to work, she couldn’t have expected this.

“Steve, you and…and Natasha? I’m not sure what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Today isn’t about Tasha and I. If you want, we can discuss it later. But right now, we should all say our good-byes.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m happy for the both of you. Aunt Peggy would be as well.”

Just then Sharon’s cousin steps out to tell them that the service is starting. Many of Peggy’s friends and family speak about their memories of her. Steve is the last to say his good-bye. His last act of remembrance was to place his compass with her picture in it beside her. After a last kiss on her forehead he whispers to her:

“I found my right partner, Peggy. Thank you, for always believing in me.”

Before he can walk away, the Priest stops him. There is one last correspondence to him from Margaret ‘Peggy’ Carter.

“Excuse me Sir, but are you Captain Steven Rogers?”

“Yes, I am. You performed an excellent service for my friend, Father. Thank you.”

“I thank you for your kind words. I was Miss Carter’s priest in the last few years of her life. She made a request of me that on this day I would give you this.”

He hands Steve the envelope, with instructions not to open it until he is away from the grave site. When he and Natasha get in their car for the ride back to the hotel, she is resting her head on his shoulder while he stares at the envelope.

“Aren’t you going to open that?”

“I-I want too. I just don’t know if I should.”

“It’s her last letter to you, I think you should read it.”

He does so, and the words she wrote, remind him of all the good memories he has of her.

“Steve,

I know saying good-bye to me has to be hard for you. Over the years I found myself wondering what our lives would have been like if you hadn’t crashed the jet in the ice. You made the ultimate sacrifice for the world. It was also because of you that I met my husband. He was one of the many you rescued from the HYDRA base. You changed my life. Howard never gave up searching for you, and I wish it hadn’t taken all those years for you to be found. You missed out on so much, but now you have your second chance. I met your fiancée, Natasha. She is your right partner, the one you told me you were always looking for. Hold on to her and be there for her like she will for you. Don’t mourn for me, I’ve had a good, long, life. Enjoy yours.”

“Love, Peggy”

Steve can feel the tears start to fall as he closes up the letter. They aren’t tears of sadness, or of loss. His tears are of joy. Natasha had told him that she went to meet Peggy before they got married. Reading her words, he knows he has the life she wanted him to have. Having her support means the world to him, and that knowledge will warm his heart no matter what the future brings.


End file.
